NAVY JET CRASHES INTO OCEAN; OCEANA PILOTS SAFELY EJECT

A Navy F-14 Tomcat ''dog-fighting'' with other Navy jets in training exercises off the coast of North Carolina went out of control Tuesday, forcing two naval aviators to eject just before it crashed into the Atlantic, Navy and Coast Guard officials said.

A Coast Guard swimmer dove into 6-foot seas from a helicopter to rescue the Tomcat pilot who became tangled in his parachute, Coast Guard officials said. The radar intercept officer was rescued by a Navy helicopter.

The aviators from Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach were flown to Portsmouth Naval Hospital for treatment of minor cuts and bruises, said Cmdr. Steve Honda, a Navy spokesman in Norfolk.

The pilot, Lt. Joseph Burns, 31, of Lancaster, Pa., and radar intercept officer, Lt. Gregg Hilliard, 27, of Chelmsford, Mass., were over the Atlantic about 25 miles east of the Dare County Regional Airport when the jet crashed at 7:50 a.m., Honda said.

The Tomcat was among six jets from Fighter Squadron 33 participating in air combat training, often referred to as dog-fighting, with eight jets from Fighter Squadron 43, Honda said. No weapons were loaded onto any of the planes, which were all from Oceana, he said.

The jets were about halfway through the 20-minute exercise when aviators from both squadrons saw the Tomcat go out of control, Honda said.

Burns and Hilliard were about 10,000 feet above the ocean when they parachuted into the water, Honda said.

A mayday was sent out and a helicopter was launched from the Norfolk-based guided missile frigate USS Clark, which was in the area but was not part of the jets' training exercise, Honda said.

The crew of the Navy helicopter pulled Hilliard out of the water about 8:31 a.m., Honda said.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard had launched another helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station in Elizabeth City, N.C.

Although the Navy helicopter had recovered Hilliard, the helicopter crew had difficulty rescuing Burns because he couldn't get his parachute detached, said Petty Officer Robin Ressler, a Coast Guard spokesman.

The Coast Guard helicopter sent a rescue swimmer overboard about 8:40 a.m. to free the parachute and bring up the pilot, Ressler said.

Both aviators were to be kept overnight at the hospital for observation, Honda said.

AT A GLANCE

* Navy F-14 Tomcat crashes into Atlantic.

* Two naval aviators from Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach eject.

* Pilot became tangled in parachute. Coast Guard member dives from helicopter to make rescue.